Painter&#39;s easel attachment for ladders



NOV. 9, 1948. J L ARNOLD 2,453,355

PAINTERS EASEL ATTACHMENT FOR LADDERS Filed July 15, 1947 52 flay-nayPatented Nov. 9, 1948 :ozmrso STATES SPATEN 1' OF E l.

PAINTERS EASEL ATTACHMENT LADDERS 2 Claims. 1.

attachments for ladders and particularly to .an

:attachmentz'which can. be used with any conventional step ladder forconvenient painting of window screens,..sash, and the like, anattachment which is quickly and easily applied and removed at will andwhich is of minimum weight and bulk; .one which will maintain itsposition and therefore positively support plane elements which are to bepainted, washed, or otherwise treated.

This attachment cannot become accidentally dislocated or released thoughit can be readily removed at will when not supporting an object. itcan:also :be used as a hanger for'paint buckets, as a support for curtainrods and the like for painting or varnishing, and can be used as ahanger or support either in front or back of the ladder steps.

The objects and. advantages of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide an easel attachment for step ladders and the like.

Second, to provide an easel attachment which securely maintains itsposition but which is easily applied and removed at will.

Third, to provide an easel attachment which looks in position on aladder step when under load but which can be lifted off the step whenthe load is removed.

Fourth, to provide an easel attachment which can be mounted for supportof elements either in front or back of the ladder steps at will.

Fifth, to provide an easel attachment which can be formed in pairs ofindividual units or in braced pairs, with the bracing either rigid orcollapsible.

Sixth, to provide an easel attachment which is very light in weight andvery economical to manufacture.

In describing the invention reference will be made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the invention shown mounted on a stepladder.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one form of the invention shown applied tothe steps of a step lad der, and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a side perspective view ofthe single element type of support.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form of bracing which permitscollapse of the easel attachment.

Fig. '7 is an enlarged fragmentary front view of the engaging slot forthe collapsible bracing.

Fig. 8 is a side sectional elevation-of Fig. 7' with one end of the:bracing and the latching :means added;

III its-simplest form :the invention consists-of a double-hookmemlber'formedfrom aflat bar H] which. terminates at :one endsiinacdependent hook H 'UO'ECIlp OVBI'. the hack-edgerof aladder step 12andbeing -bent- =down' at 1:3 and with. the depending lleg- I14terminating atiits-lower end-ina hook I5 the backrof whichirests againstthe .neXtlower step l6 of the ladder and which permitsithe use ofveryiight-weight material for .lfiS construction because thisulower.hook has this support against the step. This describesthe inventi'on'inits simplest form; twov'of these hooks being used andbeing mounted atopposite ends of the same step, and thus transforming the step ladder I?into an easel, so that window sash or screens l8 may be supported in aslightly inclined position for washing or painting. This same unit canbe used for artistic work such as oil painting.

In the preferred form the two elements are made into a unit withcrossbracing, one strap l9 spanning the step engaging hook so as to restagainst the back of the step, and the other strap 20 spanning the lowerends of the depending portions, to form a rigid structure; this type ofbracing [being adaptable to the rectangular type of construction shownin Fig. 6, or to the divergent type shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, thisdivergent type being similar except that the step engaging end is maderelatively narrow, with the straps diverging from the rear hook to theeasel hook l5, permitting, if desired, an easel support considerablywider than the ladder step.

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 show the collapsible type of bracing which consists ofa cross brace two legs of which are pivoted to the respective easelmembers as indicated at 2! and 22 close to the dependent hooks, the twocross-members being intermediately pivoted together as indicated at 23,and the upper legs having each an anchor pivot respectively 24 and 25having an enlarged head 25; the easel members each having a slot 21enlarged at 28 to pass the head 26, and entering from the top at thebend I3, and each of the slots 21 terminating at the lower end in alateral locking recess 29.

This brace is unlocked by drawing the two upper legs 30 and iii towardeach other which draws the pivots out of the lateral recesses 29 thenmoves the pivots up out of the slots, after which the unit can becollapsed to take up only about as much room as the easel memberswithout the bracing.

For use, two of the hooks, Fig. 5, are hooked over the back at oppositeends of one step of the ladder and the lower end is then lowered to restagainst the next step below. Thus the attachments are locked in placewith the lower ends firmly supported against downward and rearwardpressure. Window screens, sash, boards, and the like can then besupported and retained by the hooks I5.

The bracketed type is merely hung over the step and the forward endlowered so that the hooks l5 are supported by the next lower stepagainst rearward thrust, while the collapsible type with collapsiblebracing is merely expanded, the anchor pivots 24 and 25 are entered intothe upper ends of the slots 21, then further expanded until the anchorpivots enter the lateral locking recesses, thus locking the attachmentinto a unitary rigid structure to be hooked over one step with the hooksl5 supported against rearward thrust by the next lower step. i Becauseof the form of the. hook, and the drop member 14 engaging the front ofthe step, these attachments can be mounted at the rear of the steps forsupporting paint pails and the like. It will be noted that it would beimpossible for the attachment to become accidentally released becausethe step is gripped between the hook II which engages the underside ofthe step, and the dependent leg M at the bend point I3.

I claim:

1. An easel attachment for ladders having steps, comprising; two memberseach comprising a fiat bar bent into a hook at one end to engage theunderside and back of a step, and intermediately including meansreleasably bent down to engage the front of the step and with the bentdown portion terminating in a supporting hook at a distance equal to thespanning distance across two steps of the ladder for support of thedependent hook against rearward thrust, and bracing for coupling the twomembers together to provide a unitary structure and comprisingcross-bracing collapsible and expandible at will and including twomembers intermediately pivoted together and forming four legs, with twoof said legs pivoted to the lower ends of the re spective bent-downportions and the other legs engageable with means at the upper ends ofsaid bent-down portions.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1; said other legs including each afixed pivot having a head and forming the means releasably engageable,and the upper portions of said bent-down portions each having a slotterminating in a locking recess for reception and locking of said :fixedpivots to lock the cross-bracing in position and forming said means atthe upper ends ofusaid bent-down portions;

JAMES L. ARNOLD:

REFERENCES cm The following references are of record in the file of thispatent: UNITED STATES PATENTS Davis Sept; 24, 1935

